Monster Energy congratulates its BMX, Moto X, and skateboard athletes on a strong performance at X Games California 2023 so far.
VENTURA, Calif., July 23, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Summer X Games is off to a great start! Monster Energy congratulates its BMX, Moto X, and skateboard athletes on a strong performance at X Games California 2023 so far. On the first day of competitions inside Ventura County Fairgrounds & Events Center, 28-year-old Kevin Peraza from Tucson, Arizona, took home the gold medal in BMX Street in front of a stoked crowd. Also rising to the podium, 27-year-old Boyd Hilder from Queensland, Australia, claimed silver in BMX Street.
In the competitive Pacifico Men's Skateboard Vert final, 27-year-old Moto Shibata from Osaka, Japan, claimed bronze as his sixth X Games medal. Rounding out an eventful day, the Moto X Best Trick event saw 31-year-old Jackson Strong from Lockhart, Australia, claim the silver medal with a trick never landed before in competition.
Earlier this week, 26-year-old Monster Energy rider Edouard Damestoy from Bordeaux, France, took home the gold medal in the Monster Energy Skate MegaPark event at the SloanYard facility in Vista, California, on Monday. The decorated Frenchman was joined on the podium by 23-year-old Tom Schaar from Malibu, California, in the bronze medal position.
Also contested at the SloanYard, the Monster Energy BMX MegaPark event on Monday saw 32-year-old Jaie Toohey from Lake Munmorah, Australia, advancing to the podium with a bronze-medal finish.
Supported by Monster Energy as the official energy drink partner, X Games California 2023 marks the 68th edition of X Games since the contest's inception in 1995. From July 16 to July 23, the world's leading action sports showcase features 135 elite athletes from 20 countries competing in 21 medal events for 63 medals across BMX, motocross, and skateboarding disciplines.
Here's how Friday at X Games California 2023 unfolded for Team Monster Energy:
BMX Street: Kevin Peraza Claims Career-First X Games Gold in Street, Boyd Hilder Clinches Silver
As the first event of finals weekend at Ventura County Fairgrounds & Events Center, BMX Street brought nine of the world's best freestyle BMX riders into a session judged on the best single runs. The complex street course challenged riders with a large variety of obstacles, including quarter pipes, rails, banks, and a centerpiece volcano featuring a grind box. Arranged across several levels, the course allowed for gnarly transfers from high to low and vice versa.
Speaking of gnarly transfers, the rider with the perfect bag of tricks for the course turned out to be 28-year-old Kevin Peraza from Tucson, Arizona. Although the renowned BMX Dirt specialist had never earned a medal in the Street discipline, he took home the gold medal with a dominant performance in his very first run.
In his highest-scoring run, Peraza put down Icepick 180 back into wedge, 360 into the quarter, switch toothhanger on the rail, wallride on the front of the bell tower, nosewheelie bar spin the grind box, 180 bar spin the gap, switch tailwhip drop off the stage, 270 tire bonk into the pole (highlight #2) straight into switch feeble soft 180, nose 180 on the picnic table both ways and a massive flair over the volcano for 87.00 points and the gold medal.
"I grew up riding everything. There was never a right way or wrong way to ride BMX. All of my heroes and these amazing riders I got to ride with today have inspired me to flow through what BMX is. It's always been my goal to ride all the disciplines. To walk away not only healthy but with a gold medal, it's a dream," said Peraza upon winning BMX Street gold in Ventura. "My best friend Pat Casey told me, 'Dream big! You can do anything you want!' This one's for him and all the kids out there. There's no wrong way or right way to do it!"
Having earned his career-first BMX Street medal, Peraza now owns six X Games medals (four gold, one silver, and one bronze). He also makes history as the first BMX athlete to claim gold in three disciplines (BMX Park, Street, and Dirt). Talk about a historic day at X Games California!
Also rising to the podium, 27-year-old Boyd Hilder from Queensland, Australia, dropped into the competition as a favorite after earning a surprise gold medal in the discipline at the recent X Games Japan 2023.
In his second run, Hilder opened with a huge bar spin the roof gap onto the Hubba ledge, 180 fakie up a wedge to half-Cab over curved wall ride, tooth over and back on the fence, feeble to Smith to barspin the wall into bank, and down tooth on quarter below bell tower for 86.33 points and the silver medal.
"It's unreal mate, I thought the first medal was a dream, but now I'm just adding to it. In the second run, I got exactly what I dreamed of doing," said Hilder on taking silver at X Games California 2023. The newly minted Monster Energy team rider also said: "So stoked to be part of the Monster family, it's been a dream of mine for years, and I feel the love!"
Hilder now owns 2 X Games medals (one gold, one silver). The Australian also took first place in the Simple Session 2022 contest in Tallinn, Estonia.
Pacifico Men's Skateboard Vert: Moto Shibata Claims Bronze in Heated Finals Session
Friday night's action continued with the Pacifico Men's Skateboard Vert final featuring ten athletes in a 35-minute jam session with winners decided on the best single run.
The heated final, featuring never-been-done tricks and variations, showcased the current level of technical halfpipe skateboarding. With the benchmark for reaching the top three above 90 points, the energetic crowd witnessed one of the most progressive Skate Vert finals of all time.
When the dust settled, 27-year-old Japanese style icon Moto Shibata from Osaka claimed his spot on the podium with a bronze-medal finish. In his highest-scoring fourth run, Shibata put together alley-oop front foot impossible lien air, alley-oop McTwist, backside crossbone, kickflip McTwist, slob air to fakie, fakie to fakie 540 tailgrab, frontside Caballerial Madonna, alley-oop lipslide to Smith grind, backside air fakie and a fakie stalefish 720 on the last wall for 89.33 points and third place.
Shibata now owns 6 X Games medals (one gold, four silver, one bronze). Also, watch for Shibata and the rest of the Monster Energy halfpipe skateboarders in the upcoming Men's Skateboard Vert Best Trick event. Let's go!
Moto X Best Trick: Jackson Strong Takes Silver with Never-Been-Done Trick
As the final event of the night, the Moto X Best Trick final featured eight riders hailing from four countries: Australia, France, Japan, and Germany. Cheered on by the energetic crowd in Ventura, each athlete received two runs to post the highest-scoring trick over a choice of two different ramps.
Monster Energy's Jackson Strong from Lockhart, Australia, entered the contest as a podium favorite after locking in the gold medal in the discipline at X Games Japan 2023 with a difficult front flip variation. As Frenchman David Rinaldo took the lead with a never-been-done trick, 'Jacko' had a move up his sleeve as well.
For the crowd in Ventura, the seven-time X Games Best Trick gold medalist unveiled an aerial move never landed in competition before: A frontflip Cliffhanger, locking his legs under the handlebar while flying hands-free in a forward flip rotation, earned Strong a score of 96.00 points and the silver medal.
"It feels good. I've been around for a while now and have been to many of these events. Competing doesn't get any easier. It's just a great place to come and hang out with friends after the event, and I look forward to that half of it now," said Jackson Strong upon taking silver at X Games California 2023. "We got the crowd again, and what makes an event like this is the crowd! The energy that they put out when they're cheering and screaming is what makes it all worthwhile."
Strong now owns 15 X Games medals (seven gold, five silver, three bronze). The most dominant rider in the history of Moto X Best Trick, he has earned ten medals in the discipline at X Games, more than any other athlete.
Monster Energy Skateboard MegaPark: Frenchman Edouard Damestoy Barges into First Place, Tom Schaar Claims Bronze
Earlier this week, the Monster Energy Skateboard MegaPark event was contested on Monday, July 17, at the notorious SloanYard ramp facility, built and designed by Monster Energy team rider Elliot Sloan in Vista. Sloan's private training facility features a 27-foot tall MegaRamp that hosted the debut of the discipline as an official X Games competition at X Games 2022.
In a 30-minute jam session, the eight qualified riders dropped into a 30-foot roll-in, launching over a 35-foot right-side gap jump, followed by a 20-foot-tall quarter pipe, a 27-foot roller jump, and an 18-foot-tall quarter pipe looking for the best single run.
Newly minted Monster Energy rider Edouard Damestoy from Bordeaux, France, dropped in as the defending gold medalist in the Monster Energy Skate MegaPark event. Without hesitation, the 26-year-old put down his winning run on the very first attempt: Indy 720 over the big gap, kickflip Indy 540 on the quarter pipe, kickflip Indy 360 over the gap, and frontside rodeo 540 frontside grab on the final quarter pipe netted Damestoy 91.66 points and first place.
"It's harder when you go to a contest, and you have to defend the title. It's definitely harder than coming in as an outsider when people have no expectations! But I like this new feeling better. When you defend the title, it's like you have the belt, and you want to keep it," said Damestoy upon winning Skate MegaPark gold at X Games California 2023.
Damestoy now owns three X Games medals, and they're all gold. Also, watch out for Damestoy in the Men's Skateboard Vert Best Trick competition.
The Frenchman was joined on the Monster Energy Skate MegaPark podium by 23-year-old Tom Schaar from Malibu, California, in the bronze medal position. A string of injuries sidelined Schaar from competing at X Games 2022, but he returned to the podium at X Games Chiba 2023 and was ready to make his presence felt among the world's best MegaPark riders.
On his third run in the jam session, Schaar put down a 720 tailgrab over the gap, alley-oop backside melon 540 on the big quarter pipe, varial kickflip Indy 360 on the second gap, and kickflip body varial 540 on the final quarter pipe for 85.33 points and the bronze medal.
And just like that, Schaar had earned his tenth career X Games medal (one gold, four silver, five bronze). Also, watch out for Schaar in Men's Skateboard Park and Men's Skateboard Vert Best Trick disciplines this weekend in Ventura! The Californian is the only skateboarder competing in four disciplines at X Games California 2023.
Monster Energy BMX MegaPark: Australia's Jaie Toohey Rises to Podium with Bronze Medal Finish
The Sloanyard facility in Vista also hosted the Monster Energy BMX MegaPark discipline on Monday. Contested for the second time at X Games, the event featured eight of the world's best BMX riders in a 30-minute jam session with winners decided on the best complete run.
Rising all the way to the podium, 32-year-old Jaie Toohey from Lake Munmorah, Australia, put together a perfect run for a strong bronze-medal finish. On his first attempt of the night, Toohey put together a huge double backflip over the gap, tuck no-hander on the tall quarter pipe, nothing bikeflip the second gap, and triple tailwhip the final quarter for 89.33 points. He added a front bikeflip on Run three but could not get a flawless routine, taking home the bronze medal.
Toohey now owns four X Games medals (two silver, two bronze). Known for landing the world's first backflip triple tail whip, the Australian will also compete in BMX Dirt and BMX Dirt Best Trick at X Games California 2023. Stay tuned!
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Don't miss the action from X Games California 2023 on Saturday, with competitions in BMX, Skate, and Moto X disciplines inside Ventura County Fairgrounds & Events Center.
Here's how to watch: ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC will televise a combined 15.5 hours of live X Games California 2023. In addition, @XGames YouTube serves as the premium streaming channel for all X Games events, supplemented by interactive content and a watch-a-long hosted by Jack Mitrani and athlete guests on Twitch.
Visit http://www.monsterenergy.com for exclusive updates from X Games California 2023, including photos, videos, and contest results as they happen. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
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About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes, and musicians represent. More than a drink, it's the way of life lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers, and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at http://www.monsterenergy.com.
About X Games
X Games has been the leader in action sports since 1995. The 2023 edition will feature the world's best action sports athletes competing for gold from July 21-23, 2023. Live event coverage will be broadcast on ESPN and ABC. Follow @xgames on social to get the most up-to-date event information and visit http://www.XGames.com.
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